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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22941403">Underneath the Stars</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/'>Anonymous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Tiny Meat Gang (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>First Kiss, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, One Shot, Pining, noels pov</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 09:27:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,887</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22941403</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>noel falls in love with cody</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cody Ko &amp; Noel Miller, Cody Ko/Noel Miller</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>123</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Anonymous</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Underneath the Stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was always so easy to fall in love with Cody.</p><p>It was the little things that made Noel slip further and further; he felt his fondness for the blond boy grow with each passing day.</p><p>The light that shone every time he'd smile, the crow's feet that decorated the sides of his eyes made him endlessly endearing. It was almost hard separating from him and the warmth he always radiated. Everything about him was soft, not rough and jagged like Noel, his cheeks always round and pink. His floppy hair framed his face with a childlike innocence.</p><p>His youthful beauty was complemented by his intelligence, it would always shock others because his appearance would fool them; but Noel knew better. He knew how hard his counterpart had worked to garner all the knowledge he had, how he busted his ass in college so that he could make his parents proud.</p><p>Despite their years of friendship, he was always caught off guard when he saw Cody laughing. The younger man would always laugh just a little bit harder at Noel's jokes, no matter how bad they were. His eyes would often shut, and his nose would crinkle as he laughed, and he'd let out a little squeak if he found something especially funny. The squeak would never fail to make Noel's heart soar, he loved when he managed to get that sound out of his friend; because he knew that no one else could.</p><p>Noel had never been a stranger to Cody's intense gazes and subtly prolonged touches. He hated it when anyone watched him like that, or touched him more than necessary, but his best friend was an exception.</p><p>He always had been.</p><p>The fire in Cody's eyes felt like it burned a hole in Noel's chest, and that it could seamlessly pierce through the hazel that swam in his eyes. He was irrationally terrified; that if his friend looked at him too long that way, he'd be able to see the feelings that Noel had been denying for years. The feelings he'd just barely managed to suppress.</p><p>Emeralds took the place of Cody's irises, his eyes were pure and strong. They betrayed his face, Noel could always see with clarity what he was feeling. The younger man wasn't a hard person to read though, he would hardly mask his emotions. There was always this one longing look that he'd try push down when he looked at Noel, and sometimes it seeped out onto his face, but the dark haired man could never work out that emotion, because he would only see it when they were alone together. Noel was afraid of asking, so he never did.</p><p>The older man loved hugging his best friend, it felt as though they were pieces of a puzzle that perfectly fit together, the way Cody would snake his arms around his friends shoulders and let a small smile linger on his lips as he stayed there. When he knew Noel had a bad day, he'd squeeze him a little tighter, and stay wrapped around him for a little longer.</p><p>When Noel had a shitty day, he'd keep it to himself, it was a habit he couldn't seem to let go of. He would never mention how much Cody's presence made him feel better, but somehow Cody always knew. And he was always there, shining as bright as the sun.</p><p>Sometimes, when they needed to get work done early in the day, the light haired man would go to Noel's apartment right after dawn to wake him up. He would whisper a soft 'good morning,' and gently stroke his best friends cheek with his thumb.</p><p>The pad of his thumb was calloused- a strong juxtaposition from the softness of the rest of his being. Noel loved it.</p><p>On those days, Cody would never bathe in his own apartment, he'd always flash that bright smile and say that he liked Noel's shower a lot more than his. It was dumb, but the brown eyed man couldn't help but feel special.</p><p>Right before getting into the shower, Cody would peel the shirt, from the previous day, off his torso and toss it into his friends laundry basket. He'd forget his shirt there sometimes, and unknowingly Noel would wash it. He kept Cody's forgotten clothes with his own, for when he'd need them again. Unsurprisingly, he often did, always giving Noel a small grateful smile that traveled all the way to his eyes, when he was handed the pieces of clothing.</p><p>He adored the way Cody's back looked, it was lightly toned and when he stretched; the muscles moving underneath his skin were visible. His body underneath his shirts and hoodies was far from soft, it always impressed the tired man. But Noel couldn't stop his smile when Cody gained weight, and pouted about it when he had to get shirtless in front of his friend.</p><p>Cody wasn't fragile, not in any way, but Noel felt as though he needed to be gentle with his best friend. Everyone around the two of them noticed how Cody got special treatment from Noel, and when they complained about it- Noel never once missed the way Cody's face would flush at the comments.</p><p>Every aspect of Cody had Noel wholly transfixed, sometimes they looked at each other like they were the only people in the world. Their friends would always hang out with them in groups, they would never be alone with the two of them. They never noticed that, though.</p><p>Cody had this way of making Noel feel special, even if it was something as small as smiling at him.</p><p>The older man would never be able to forget the day they were driving towards a different state for an adventure, and ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere. It was nighttime and they were both in dire need to stretch their legs, but they were afraid of being attacked by something or someone, so Noel removed the lug wrench from the trunk of his car and asked Cody to stay close to him. </p><p>Luckily, their friends were in a separate car, driving ahead of them. They had called their friends to their rescue but they had to sit tight for a good few minutes, their friends had pulled way ahead of the two. Cody in his ever so optimistic outlook, decided to explore.</p><p>There were some trees littered on the sides of the road, on the upward curve of a random hill. Noel thought exploring was a stupid idea but Cody wouldn't listen and began walking anyway, the older man simply sighed and followed suit, he knew there was no point in arguing. The crunching leaves underneath their shoes being the only sound made between the two of them. </p><p>They didn't walk far before Cody gasped and grabbed Noel's arm, the older man was alert and ready to swing the wrench at whoever may be trying to hurt them. But when he saw Cody, he was looking up directly at the sky.</p><p>The Canadian felt Noel's gaze on him and turned to look into his eyes, he quickly turned away and looked back at the sky, prompting his friend to do the same. Noel was too shocked to follow his counterparts actions though, he couldn't exactly describe it, but it looked like his eyes were glowing. It was a colour that Noel had never seen before.</p><p>Slowly, Noel complied and looked upwards to the sky, it wasn't hard to see because the trees were scattered all over the place, their leaves only barely being an obstacle in his vision. When his eyes focused on the sky, he was overwhelmed.</p><p>Stars seemed to cover every inch of the dark blue blanket above them. Each constellation was clear, and the stars and moon lit up the world around them, enveloping them in an indescribable warmth. Noel no longer felt like he was on earth, he felt like no one could ever see something so beautiful on a dying planet.</p><p>A breeze blew from Noel's side, almost as if it was prompting him to look at Cody. And so he did.</p><p>Everything that he thought beautiful about Cody seemed to be amplified. His soft lips were parted in astonishment, and he was unblinking. The breeze had misplaced his hair and there were a few strands that fell onto his forehead, but he didn't notice them.</p><p>As if Noel was under a trance, not remembering when the wrench slipped from his hand; he pushed the hair away from his friends eyes, finally gaining his attention. When Cody snapped his neck in the older man's direction; he almost regretted touching him. His heartbeat grew louder, and drowned out the quiet sounds that surrounded them. His breath got caught in his throat, and his eyes widened.</p><p>Cody's lips were still parted and he seemed like his head was in the clouds. His hand found Noel's arm and he held onto it as if it was his lifeline, like he'd float into nothingness if he didn't have something grounding him. His eyes seemed to come back into focus, and he lightly bit his lower lip. The stars were bright enough to illuminate his face, and they were reflected back in his glossy eyes.</p><p>The thing that possessed Noel earlier came over him again, and without thinking, his free hand went to cup the younger mans cheek as if that was all his palm and fingers were meant for. Another part of them that felt like pieces of a puzzle fitting together. He almost missed how softly Cody squeezed his arm, and something squeezed in Noel's chest in perfect unison.</p><p>Noel's mind was completely devoid of any thoughts, his body was moving on it's own, like he was being controlled by some unseen puppet strings. He slowly closed the space between their faces, Cody's eyes held that same intensity and emotion that Noel was never able to decipher. The younger man didn't move a muscle; except releasing his lip from his teeth,  and a slow panic set into Noel's mind, it was now a flurry of thoughts. The rapid beating of his heart was loud and angry in his ears, and it begun to consume him.</p><p>But when he got close enough to feel Cody's breath, he stopped, worried he'd do something to jeopardise their friendship. The motionless man knew what Noel was thinking, so he closed the space between their lips himself.</p><p>The kiss was gentle; and Noel was taken aback with how soft Cody's lips were. Their chests touched and Noel could feel through his hoodie, how hard his friends heart was beating. The movement shifted his hair out of place again and tickled the older man's forehead. He felt as though the pieces of the puzzle had all come together; and now it was finally complete.</p><p>Cody's hand glided down Noel's arm and held onto his fingers. He squeezed his friends fingers when they pulled away, and that emotion that Cody kept locked away behind his eyes had trickled onto his face.</p><p>That was when Noel realised that the expression that adorned Cody's face in that moment was nothing but genuine, pure adoration.</p><p>And Noel remembered how easy it had been to fall in love with Cody.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you for reading! this was mostly inspired by the chorus in the song illuminated by hurts</p></blockquote></div></div>
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